by A new study released on July 11, 2023 found that most worship leaders connect with songs because they’ve experienced them firsthand at a conference or by listening to them online, or because a friend or church member recommended them — rather than seeing the song at the top of the charts or on a list of new songs. Another study found an increasingly rapid turnover time for church music.
Elias Dummer, a Christian musician turned marketer who is part of the research team behind the study, said most worship leaders think they have good reasons for picking the songs they use in worship. But they may not be aware of how social forces—like the popularity of certain churches—affect their choices.
The new study is based on a survey of more than 400 church worship leaders in the U. and Canada that was conducted in late 2022 — drawn from both social media groups of worship leaders and an email list from a major music publisher.
Worship leaders were asked what they thought about the pace of new music being produced, how they picked new songs, what they thought the motivations were behind new songs and whether they’d pick a song—or avoid it—based on the artist or church that produced it.
Researchers also found that recommendations from friends on social media (54%), congregation members (56%) and church leaders (76%) made it more likely that worship leaders would choose a song. Hearing a song at a live event (76%) or streaming online (70%) also made it more likely they’d choose a song.
“The most influential factors in discovering a new worship song are peer endorsements and personal experiences,” according to the study. “Worship leaders mainly trust their friends and fellow church leaders to provide them with song recommendations.”
Just under half (47%) of those worship leaders were concerned about the number of new songs available for churches to sing. The study found four megachurches (Hillsong, Bethel, Elevation … ) release about 40-50 new songs each year, on top of the hundreds of songs available from other sources—from modern hymn writers to artists on YouTube.
Another study in North America by Worship Leader magazine found that worship songs don’t last as long as they used to. The average lifespan of a widely sung worship song is about a third of what it was 30 years ago, according to the study.
Churches across the US and Canada sang, “Refiner’s fire / my heart’s one desire / is to be holy” for a full decade after Vineyard worship pastor Brian Doerksen released it in 1990. But they only sang, “worthy of honor and glory / worthy of all our praise / you overcame” for about three years.
Source: Christianitytoday.com
